The Story Of Naoe

In doing research for this weeks' New Times review of Naoe, I emailed chef/owner Kevin Cory to ask the meaning of the kanji characters that are part of the restaurant logo. His answer was fascinating, but way too long to put in a review. This mini-memoir delves into Cory's family history in Japan, the evolution of his restaurant Naoe, and how the two relate to each other and to the kanji characters. So sit back, pour yourself some chilled sake, and enjoy a good read.

"NAOE is my Japanese family name. In order to truly provide the exact meaning of my characters' art and logo, I must explain a little about my family's roots, my family relations, my inspiration and motivations. Because every day I look at it, I am humbled, and driven to someday prove myself worthy:

My family is from Oono, Kanazawa. Kanazawa is a verrry culturally rich area of Japan. Oono is a tiny dot along the Sea of Japan & Kanazawa's port/inlet. (There is an Ono/Oono city in another area of Japan. My Oono is the one most people never heard of.) Oono is an historical semi-hidden dot shoyu town. Kanazawa has about 500,000 people. But Oono is only about the size of Eastern Shores in North Miami Beach.

My family's history and location make sense for the kanji's skeleton, explained in the files (one in photo above, one after the jump). In Japan's countryside, you'll find many families have lived in the same tiny neighborhood for hundreds of years, doing a specialty trade thats dependent upon their geography and local culture. But the exact meaning for my characters' art goes a bit deeper into my life...

Kevin Cory

When I was 7 years old, my Mom took me to Japan for a few months. I

fondly remember my Uncle Choyu would always take me for walks and my

Aunts Etsuko & Koko would cook for us with Etsuko's daughter Chieko

stopping by (she is married to revered artist Katsura Funakoshi). In

1999, before I went to Toyama to work with my Chef Uncle, Yasushi, we

all reunited -- along with Yasushi's wife, Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi is so

incredibly nice and her Japanese breakfasts were superb! My Aunt Koko

lived in Kamakura. She took us to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu (the symbolic

shrine of Japan's old capital city, Kamakura) where she showed me our

relative's "omiki" (sake offering to the Gods). That was when I first

learned of my family's sake brewery. Unfortunately, a few years later,

both of my oldest surviving aunts, Koko & Etsuko, passed away.

In 2005, I tried to obtain a location to open a restaurant. I

originally liked the idea to use my "Japanese family name" for a "small

Japanese restaurant". But ever since I was old enough to answer the

phone, whenever someone called for my Mom, people would always

mispronounce her name with absolutely no confidence. So I dismissed

the idea.

I searched for an easy to pronounce name/word foreigners could

recognize as being Japanese, even though it may not be as appealing to

Japanese. Restaurants are very risky and this is America, not Japan.

I came up with "Kitano". It is elegant, easy to pronounce, and there

was an ukiyoe artist named Kitano from where my Mom's from too;

provides a story to link my heritage as Japanese. But I found "Kitano"

was trademarked by the Kitano Hotel in NYC. I asked if they'd mind.

They said, OK (for just a tiny restaurant far far away). But when I

asked for their signature, they changed their mind.

The next name for my restaurant was "Kamakura", although perhaps again

generic to Japanese people [like being in Japan and seeing a restaurant

named Aventura or Grammercy(they have)], its strong sounding, easy to

pronounce, foreigners can recognize it as Japanese and it provides a

story for my Japanese heritage.

About March/April 2006, I was about to sign a lease for "Kamakura" in

Jade Brickell Bay. But then my mom had a stroke. So I stopped the

deal to help my mom. At that time, I coincidently saw a sake catalog

with my relative's sake brewery. Being fortunate to have time with my

Mom, I asked her about the sake brewery, but she didnt have

information; she is the youngest of 11 siblings, and shortly after WWII

her Father, Naoe Genhichiro, passed away. The economy was awful and the

siblings had to scatter....She then said, her Father had a shoyu

brewery. I was surprised after 10 years of making sushi why she never

told me. She said, "I told you. But you never listen to me." LOL

A couple of months after my mom's fortunately strong recovery, I went

to Kanazawa to find my roots and to meet my shoyu and sake relatives. I

was extremely excited. I assumed that they were just one of a thousand

breweries. I didnt care. All I wanted to do was say hello. Little did I

know...

Of course I researched the top dining experiences of Kanazawa and spent

hours discussing the area with concierges. While there, I entered a

local sake shop at Kanazawa's main marketplace, Omicho. One of my

relative's sakes was displayed for 26,000 Yen. I spoke a little broken

Japanese with the shop owner, never mentioning any relations. She

poured me a couple glasses of other local sakes to taste. She asked

how I liked them and either she got the impression I had an

appreciation for good sake or was incredibly kind, because she reached